Two of a Kind
by Alexis Steele
Summary: They say the fate of hunter twins is tragic, but is it really? What if there was a more sinister reason behind why Hunter twins have such a tragic past?


**Title: **Two of a Kind

**Author: **Alexis Steele

**Fandom: **Vampire Knight

**Timeframe: **VKG Episodes 11-12 orChapters 40-43 in the manga

**Characters: **Zero & Ichiru

**Genre: **General/Alternate Universe

**Summary: **What if there was a more sinister reason behind why Hunter twins have such a tragic past?

**Author's Notes: **This story came about because the first time I watched Episode 12 of VKG it looked like Ichiru's head was trying to pop out of Zero's shoulder. And then it looked like Bloody Rose was trying to merge into Zero's body. And then, the muses got a hold of these two ideas and wouldn't let go of it until they got it written down. This is my first time writing a VK fanfic, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.  
**Warnings: **Mild description of gore in future chapters.

**Disclaimer: Any of the characters you recognize in this fic are not mine. They are the intellectual property of their perspective creator, Matsuri Hino. No monies were exchanged in return for the writing of this story. It was written with only the intent to place these memorable characters into, hopefully, a unique plot designed to entertain the readers. No copyright infringement is intended. Any characters you don't recognize in this fic are mine. Please do not use without permission.**

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'_I'm a monster.'_

This was the only thought passing through Kiryuu Zero's head as he wrapped his arms around the rapidly cooling form of his beloved younger brother. Gut-wrenching sobs wracked through the silver-haired teen's thin frame as his tears unabashedly ran unchecked down his face to splash onto Ichiru's now-serene eyes.

Never mind the fact that Ichiru had already been fatally wounded by Kuran Rido before he entered Zero's cell; the result of Ichiru's foolish attempt to avenge his beloved mistress, Hiou Shizuka. Never mind the fact that Ichiru had to practically beg and plead for his twin to take the last-remaining dregs of Ichiru's lifeforce, under the guise of Zero taking back the power and potential of the legendary Kiryuu vampire hunters that was robbed from him as a result of Ichiru's birth. Never mind the fact that Ichiru _shot_ Zero in order to weaken his vampiric side enough so as to force Zero into either drinking Ichiru's blood or rapidly descending into insanity brought on by the vampire's bloodlust.

No, in Zero's mind, because he wasn't strong enough to resist his vampiric urges when his 'victim' stacked the deck of fate against him… the whole episode only served to reinforce the notion that Zero had indeed become the monster he always knew was inevitable ever since the night he was bitten by Hiou Shizuka and left to watch helplessly as his parents were murdered in front of him almost five years previously. These thoughts only served to further depress the young hunter-turned-vampire as he realized that there would be no more chances to reconcile with his younger brother; a thought that had remained deep within the recesses of Zero's heart despite the anger and betrayal he felt over Ichiru's acceptance of, and assistance in, Shizuka's revenge against the Kiryuu twins' parents for killing the pureblood's ex-human lover. In that instant, something within Zero snapped and the hunter-turned-vampire resolved to avenge his family by taking out the individual who he's now learned was behind all of Zero's pain and suffering – Kuran Rido.

Caressing his brother's face once more in farewell, Zero closed Ichiru's eyes for the last time and folded his arms over his heart. Zero then dried the tears that had fallen down his face and began to make his way out of the basement dungeon located underneath Cross Academy that Chairman Cross and Kiryuu twins' former sensei, Toga Yagari, had confined the elder Kiryuu to. Zero made it only until about the fourth stair on the landing before he collapsed into the stone wall as gut-wrenching pain assaulted the silver-haired teen. He felt an internal war between his hunter side and vampire side churning through his body at lightning speed, as the infusion of Ichiru's life force – still heavily laced with the blood of Zero's vampire master – proceeded to further transform Zero into the beast he thought himself to be.

However, if Zero had chanced a glance back into the cell where Ichiru's body lay, he would've been witness to a miraculous sight, as all of the spilled blood that had pooled onto the stone floor from the twins' wounds was slowly absorbed into the younger Kiryuu's body, then it began to shimmer brightly before fading away to the point where it looked as if Ichiru had never existed. In truth, this was not the case, as even at this moment, Ichiru's essence is being physically, spiritually, and psychically reunited with his other half, balancing out the disparity of strength that has always existed between the Kiryuu twins.

For, unbeknownst to Zero, Ichiru has put into motion events that will forever alter his and his brother's lives – a hunter twin's true destiny. Whilst under the tutelage of his pureblood mistress, Ichiru stumbled upon a fount of knowledge that, if discovered by vampire and hunter alike, would've sent both societies spiraling into chaos. A prophecy feared by the Vampire Council for untold millennia; this abject terror also proving just how long the upper echelons of the Hunters Association have been in collusion with the vampire world's corrupt body of government. The prophecy of the _kanshisha._

The awakening of the Eternal Guardians.

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